The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing piles in situ immediately prior to the use thereof for foundation, ground reinforcement or soil stabilization purposes.
In conventional piling operations, piles made from concrete, wood or steel are generally used. Whichever type of pile that is used, the length of the manufactured pile is generally restricted, although the pile lengths may vary from a few meters up to several tens of meters. It is quite difficult to handle and manipulate very long piles, and to drive them down into the ground requires machinery equipped with a high tower. Shorter piles must be formed with interconnecting means allowing the piles to be joined together, and such interconnecting means often increase the pile manufacturing costs considerably, in addition to which the operations of joining the pile sections together during the piling work is quite time-consuming.
In conventional piling operations the piles are usually driven down into the ground with the aid of some kind of percussion equipment. Such equipment generates heavy vibrations and noise when in use, which could constitute an environmental disturbance.